Brian’s Reflection: Friday, Dec 5, 2008


I never did very well in math - I could never seem to per-
suade the teacher that I hadn't meant my answers literally.

- Calvin Trillin, author, born on this day, 1935


“God” has the same problem. And Jesus still has the same problem today. He told these wonderful parables. Good stories, with great, engaging detail. With nasty landlords and kings and tenants. And people today still don’t get it that all that stuff isn’t meant to be taken literally. Many people will read about a landlord who kills the wicked servants who mistreated his servants and killed his son in their greed, and they will say, “See, God punishes those who don’t do what He wants; that’s the way God is!” Utter rubbish! The story is not about God’s character. It’s about how justice should work among human beings.

The same is true with the story of Jesus. And with His “miracles”. The story of Jesus is essentially about the Presence of God in Creation and in each of us human beings. It’s about how our matter is given life by spirit; it is about dying to our animal nature and becoming fully human by being infused by the Divine; it is about discovering Love and Compassion as the core essence of being alive; it is about suffering leading us to trust; it is about the mystery of death and resurrection freeing us from fear. It’s about how each of us is a daughter or son of God. Every dimension of the person and life of Jesus is about the destiny of each of us.

“Miracles” are not magician’s tricks. They are about the endless ways that God raises us from dead places (resurrection, Lazarus, the widow’s son), calms the storms of destruction with Love (Noah’s ark, walking on the water), nourishes our minds and hearts and spirits with “Heavenly food and drink” (Elijah’s cornmeal and oil, manna, loaves and fishes, Cana), and so on.

Literalism trivializes. It builds houses of cards that collapse because they are built on sand.

Build your life on “rock”. On the stories’ meaning. And your Life will stand.

Brian+